Well, my dear friend, I am glad for your question. Actually, sin is still sin, regardless of what ungodly man might say. Indeed, the modern culture of our world has stamped its approval on much that true Christians know from the Bible to be sin. In Romans 1, we read about those who refuse to acknowledge God as follows: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them,” (verse 32). Rebellious man, often in the name of “love” and “acceptance” has made himself the authority of what is right and wrong, in opposition to the only true authority, which is the Bible. But I assure you, my dear friend, that sin is still sin, whether people wish to call it that or not, for God does not change (Hebrews 13:8). So, the quick answer to your question is this: God’s Word, the Bible, is still the rock solid and only authoritative resource for truth; the Bible tells us what sin is, and when we follow the precepts of God’s Word, the Bible will keep us from sin. God does not change, but the heart of man is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), and so it is that in these days, we see many who accept frank sin as totally normal and good behavior. I believe that there is a spirit in the world even today, the spirit of anti-Christ, which is deceitful and will try to cause people to believe what is not true (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

During the great tribulation, the words of 2 Thessalonians which I have referred to will be realized in their fullness, but again I say that the spirit of wickedness, which is the work of Satan who always opposes the church, is at work even today to confuse and to darken the understanding of men. We are told by our society today that infidelity in marriage is not sin, that homosexuality is just an alternative lifestyle, and I believe that some even deny the very existence of sin, preferring to believe that there is no real right or wrong. Additionally, I see a rising tide of “theologians” who do not accept that the Bible is always true, and some even question whether Christ is actually God the Son, or that He died for our sins and rose from the dead. There are churches today which teach such things, and who accept into fellowship anyone who wishes to be there regardless of their background or beliefs. Indeed, the Bible has warned us that in the last days, wicked doctrines would be spread through the church by false teachers (2 Timothy 3:1-5), and it is for this reason that the Apostle Paul gives so many warnings for Christians not to be deceived, and not to tolerate sin within the local assemblies.

But the creeping in of false beliefs into the church of God, the Body of Christ, is insidious, and thus we must be aware and faithfully read our Bibles. I once knew an itinerant preacher from North Carolina who went about in Appalachia preaching the Gospel.  He came to one farm where the smell of hogs was particularly strong, and he exclaimed to this farmer, “how do you tolerate this smell?”  To this the farmer replied, “what smell?”  The object lesson here is that if we are around sin long enough, it will not stink anymore. We read in 1 Corinthians 15:33, 34: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” This is one of those many warnings to Christians from Paul to not be associated with groups which have evil doctrine/teachings, and to be aware of false teachings in the church as these will corrupt—these can lead even believers away from the truth of the Bible, resulting in more sin. Sadly, even in Christian churches today, you will see pastors and teachers who are perhaps wanting to be more accepting and loving, teaching ungodly doctrines, and allowing all manner of sin into many assemblies. Our modern society seems to want the church to align with the cultural mores of the times (common social customs and practices of the day) as these change over the years. But it is not for man to make the decision about what is right and what is wrong; all things must be viewed in the light of what the Bible says.  Only the careful study of the Bible, along with prayer, can show us what is right and what is wrong. Remember the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who “…were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” And, please note this, I pray you, we who are true Christians are called upon not to associate with evil, whether doctrinal or behavioral, and to study the Scriptures, to rightly divide the word of truth, and to “depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:15-22). And you ask, how can we know what is right or wrong? We have the assurance from God’s Word that if we truly seek God’s truth, He will help us to find it as we read in John 7:17, “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God…”

My dear friend, our desire to know what is right and wrong must be driven by a true desire to seek and follow through with the will of God. And, how do we know the will of God?  Well, I believe that we have these resources always: prayer where we talk to God, and we have God’s Word where He talks to us. And even if we cannot find a specific verse to respond to the particular question we may have, we can trust that God will let us know the way in which we should go as we prayerfully consider His Word (Psalms 32:8; John 7:17).  (SF)  (583.1)